#COUNTRYREWIND - WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN PERFORMS ON TODAY SHOW

Photo ID: (L to R) Hoda Kotb, William Michael Morgan, Jenna Bush Hager

Photo Courtesy Warner Music Nashville

William Michael Morgan kicked off the new year with Hoda and Jenna on NBC’s TODAY, making his national TV debut on January 4 performing his No. 1 hit “I Met A Girl."  The poignant song, along with his newest single, “Missing,” are featured on his recently released critically acclaimed debut album VINYL. Click here to see performance - http://on.today.com/2hRo3TN

Morgan’s debut effort lands him on many year-end best albums lists, including Rolling Stone, iTunes, Saving Country Music, and top song of the year nods for “I Met A Girl” from Billboard and NPR.  The New York Times declares “…in the emergent field of gentleman country — an antidote to the bros of the last few years — William Michael Morgan stands tall.”  The praise continues, referring to “Vinyl” as a “sturdy, reflective debut album….  a throwback to the temperate wisdom of midcareer George Strait.”

The 23-year-old Vicksburg, MS native will join country music stars Lee Brice and Justin Moore on the “American Made” Tour with dates starting in January.  His breakout mega-hit “I Met A Girl,” which topped Country Radio charts and SiriusXM’s “The Highway” Top 45 Countdown chart, has garnered over half a billion audience impressions, including over 20 million on-demand streams. His critically acclaimed album VINYL debuted in the Top 5 on Billboard’s Country Albums Chart.

For more information and tour dates, please visit www.williammichaelmorgan.com

WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN TO PERFORM NATIONAL ANTHEM AT TENNESSEE TITANS GAME IN CELEBRATION OF COUNTRY MUSIC MONTH AND “THE 50TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS”

Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville artist and traditional Country Music torchbearer William Michael Morgan will perform the national anthem at the Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts game on Sunday, Oct. 23 as he joins the Country Music Association in celebrating Country Music Month and “The 50th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and broadcast live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 2 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Morgan recently earned his first No.1 for debut single, “I Met A Girl,” from his recently released Top 5 Billboard Country Albums LP, Vinyl. The breakout star receives high marks with Rolling Stone praising the album for “leading a traditional revival” and Saving Country Music notes that Morgan is the “traditionalist that mainstream needs…his touch can turn something to country gold.” NPR applauds Morgan for standing on “solidly traditional footing” while Taste of Country hears “a young George Strait in its straightforward earnestness.” Produced by award-winning Scott Hendricks and Jimmy Ritchey, Vinyl also features his next single, “Missing.”

Morgan has come a long way since his days of playing the legendary “Louisiana Hayride” once a month and other various local bookings secured by his parents. The 23-year-old Vicksburg, MS native continues to hit the road throughout the fall, and will kick off 2017 by joining country music stars Lee Brice and Justin Moore on the “American Made” Tour. Morgan will start the trek January 12 in Indianapolis, IN and continue through March, playing 20 cities across the country.

For more information and tour dates, please visit www.williammichaelmorgan.com /
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CD REVIEW: "VINYL" - WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN

CD: "Vinyl"

Artist: William Michael Morgan

Release Date: 9/30/16

Reviewer: Jennifer Smith

Follow Jenn on Twitter at @Lovinlyrics

Times are changin' and so is the direction of country music thanks to artists like William Michael Morgan. His Sam Hunt penned debut single, "I Met A Girl", put the country music charts on a new tilt and went all the way to #1 after 49 weeks, setting a Mediabase chart record for longest climb to number one. It may have taken awhile to find it's way to the top of the charts, but it sure didn't take long to find it's way to the #1 place in the hearts of traditional country music fans, Now, with the release of his much anticipated debut album "Vinyl", fans have even more reason to be excited. It takes a special kind of artist to start a fire and William Michael Morgan seems to be just the spark that's needed.

Each track on the album reflects who William Michael Morgan is, honest and simple with a deep love for the style of country music that seems to have gotten lost somewhere along the way but that so many of us have held on, waiting for it to find it's way again. He isn't just looking the part with his cowboy hat and Wranglers, he IS the part. His voice is pure and smooth with a hint of Strait that will make your belt buckle. What a refreshing thing to hear when you turn on the radio. Yes, I said radio because even they've seen that what he has to give is much needed. Thank you to all of the stations who took a chance and added the single to their playlists. I promise you that your listeners appreciate it. Even today's younger demographic is pleased in two ways, "I Met a Girl" is a well written song by one of pop country's most popular artists, Sam Hunt, and a well sung song by one of country's hottest traditional newcomers, Morgan. It appeals across the dial.

This is a CD that should be purchased in it's entirety and not limited to the purchase of one or two individual tracks because every track delivers. With songs written by some of country's best writers including, in addition to Sam Hunt, Rhett Akins, Trent Tomlinson, Casey Beathard and Kevin Denney, you really can't go wrong. There is no wrong on this CD, nothing that honest critics can give a thumbs down to. There will be more hits on the way from this album, I'd bet the ranch on it. William Michael Morgan has proven he has more than just potential as a bonafide country artist, he's cemented his future in the genre.

Track Listing for Vinyl

1. People Like Me
2. Vinyl
3. Missing
4. I Met a Girl
5. Spend It All on You
6. Beer Drinker
7. I Know Who He Is
8. Cheap Cologne
9. Somethin' to Drink About
10. Lonesomeville
11. Back Seat Driver

"Vinyl" is available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and Walmart.

Connect with WMM online 

Website - www.williammichaelmorgan.com
Twitter - @WMMorgan
Facebook - WilliamMichaelMorgan
Instagram - wmmorganmusic
Youtube - wmmorganmusic

A MESSAGE FROM WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN ...

THIS WEEK'S #1 SONG BY WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN PROVES TRADITION IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND BREATHING

Everywhere you look on social media these days, country music fans are posting the same thing - "What happened to country music?", "I want to hear something traditional" or "radio doesn't care about REAL country" ... today those questions were answered.

Traditional artist, Warner Bros. own William Michael Morgan took the #1 Mediabase position with his twang of a hit, "I Met a Girl" (ironically written by one of the least "real country" artists but amazing songwriters out there, Sam Hunt.) By passing by artists with current rising hits like Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, and Florida Georgia Line, William Michael Morgan proves that country music isn't dead, it was merely waiting for the right time and that time was today. It shows that there's room for more than one style of country and that tradition is still very much alive, even in radio. It doesn't get much more "real country" than William Michael Morgan.

Thank you to Warner Bros/WMN and the fans for believing in this song and making radio believe in it enough to give it the maximum spins needed to break though the 58 weeks of air play and the 49 weeks of sitting at various spots on the Mediabase charts. This makes "I Met a Girl" the longest chart run to #1 in history so three good things came out of this - a deep breath of country life on the charts, the first #1 hit for William Michael Morgan and the single set a new music history record!

Stetsons off to the Warner Bros/WMN team who stood behind this single and pushed it until it finally happened:

WMN SVP Radio & Streaming - Kristen Williams
WMN VP/Radio & Streaming - Chris Palmer
WMN VP/Original Content & Radio Marketing - Chad Schultz
Warner Bros./WMN National Director/Radio & Streaming - Katie Bright
Radio & Streaming Regional Mgrs - Mallory Opheim, Mark Niederhauser, Rick Young, Lou Ramirez
Coordinator/Radio & Streaming - Branden Bosler

Job well done and song well sung!

SINGLE REVIEW: "I MET A GIRL" - WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN

SINGLE: "I Met a Girl"
ARTIST: William Michael Morgan
REVIEWER: Alyse Smith
Follow Alyse on Twitter at @ASmith1300

Download "I Met a Girl" on iTunes

Newcomer William Michael Morgan has released his debut single “I Met A Girl”, a sweet song about a girl he’s enraptured with and has to share it with the world.  A slow-tempo serenade, very little is present aside from Morgan and a guitar. As he croons about his love and her “baby blues and crazy shoes,” he remembers when he was near speechless upon meeting her, only able to utter monosyllabic greetings. As the song plays, he declares how enthralled he is by the beginning of a relationship, wherein she let him into her world and he doesn’t know much about her yet but can’t wait to learn more. The stripped-down arrangement of the song only serves to amplify the story and Morgan’s voice.

Though the story of “I Met A Girl” has been told before, lately the slow and soft arrangement has not been favored.  In the current landscape of country music, between the tempo and Morgan’s vocals, it is sure to stand out. I almost didn’t recognize the song until I further looked into it. If anybody was wondering if there seemed to be the fingerprints of a Hunt on fire, a famed McAnally or perhaps a touch of Old Dominion a la Trevor Rosen, then you’d be right. Sam Hunt has sung this song before (though granted it sounded incredibly different, which is what Hunt strives for.) as well as co-written it with Shane McAnally and Trevor Rosen. What the stroke of luck was that William Michael Morgan, a 22 year old from Vicksburg, Mississippi connected with the song and some of Nashville's biggest and most successful songwriting powerhouses, we may never know, but we're sure glad someone saw fit to connect them through this song.

On his Facebook artist page, Morgan describes himself as a “typical 22-year-old,” which is when he first started lying to us because from the second he opened his mouth one could easily tell there is nothing typical about him.  I mean, we’ve heard the story before, kid dreams of being a country singer, turns 18 and packs his bags, heads to Music City.  From there though, the luck, talent and perseverance it took him to get here is more of a Taylor Swift fairy tale than anything else.  A tale full of talent at a young age, a voice existing outside of time and a boy ready to take the world by storm with his family behind him.  Record deal with Warner at 19, a lover of old country and new, this is surely only the tip of the iceberg with Morgan.  I can’t wait to see what stories he regales us with next.

Get social with William Michael Morgan -

Facebook - WilliamMichaelMorgan
Twitter - @WMMorgan
Instagram - @Wmmorganmusic